First “real” snow of the season came Saturday evening, December 5th, a couple of inches that painted all the pinetops white and was sticky enough to bend their branches down in reverence for the power of nature. Lately mallards and geese have dropped in for a swim and a brief rest in the midst of their journey south before it gets too cold. Haven’t seen the blue heron in well over a month, but we did have another visitor last week: a large, healthy coyote, who scratched his hairy neck while sunning complacently in the middle of the lacrosse field. Mr. Coyote acted as though he owned the place.Camp has also had a few human visitors this fall as well. On three successive Wednesdays, Subury Extended Day bussed kindergarten to 5th graders from Haynes, Nixon, Noyes, and Loring schools over for some fun. Emmy, Jen, Chris, Rob, Mark, Jan, Karen, and yours truly refreshed our memories of what it was like to be counselors when we led the troups in various activities like S’mores, paintball, string course, GPS hunt, hayrides, and camouflage. We were aided thankfully by some actual counselors like Michael H. and Alex M.. In each of the school groups, we found a few Sewataro campers to answer our “Hubba, Hubbas” with loud “Ding, Dings.”
This blog will be aired every so often with things of interest to campers, parents, counselors. It will be occasional in frequency and varied in content. News about camp people and camp activities, but not only news. Some facts, commentary, how to’s, and opinion. I even have a few tales to tell. For the most part, it will all come from me, who will draw part of my moniker from the above mentioned camp visitor. So Coyote Bill, aided by inspiration from anywhere and comments from you, will hereby launch Sounds of Sewataro. Your responses are welcome and will be also aired.
Speaking of stories, let’s start one about the ancient hidden people who used to inhabit the places we now live. Their spirit lives on, of course, and there may even be some of their descendants who have carved out homes in a tree or two on the property.
The Elves of the Land of Three Ponds
Many years ago, during the Golden Age of Elves, at least seven distinct elf clans occupied the territory now known as Sewataro, then called “The Land of Three Ponds.” Elf clans tended to be named for the particular talents and abilities of their members. For example, the Askers were famous for asking questions, questions so sharp and pointed that the effort to answer them would bring sheer clarity to the most difficult problems of life. Once an Asker elder framed a question so powerful and so brilliant that anyone who seriously tried to answer it had his life changed forever. The question was, “Where are you going?” By the tone of the question, of course, the listener knew that an answer such as “I’m going to the grocery store” would not suffice, and any attempt to answer the question in this way would only subject one to ridicule. Suddenly elf, dwarf, fairie, or human—whoever was asked this question—had to think about the direction of his or her life. They could no longer go about the ordinary tasks of the day like eating, playing, going to school, shopping or working without thinking about how all of these activities fit into the overall journey of their lives. Needless to say, with this kind of a gift for illuminating the mysteries of life by their questions, the Askers were revered by all the Elf clans and given a special place of prominence, for whenever any of the elves found themselves puzzled about things or weighed down by worries, they would approach the Council of Askers to receive a question that would cause them to see their puzzlement in a fresh, clarifying way.
Some of the other Elf clans--and I won’t reveal all of them just yet--were the Protectors, the Makers, the Poets, the Growers, and the Players. All of these clans lived in harmony during the Golden Age of Elves. The Growers provided food and drink for all. The Makers built cottages for every Elf family and all the buildings needed for meetings, socials, and exchange. The Poets fashioned beauty and insight out of language, song, story, painting, and sculpture. The Players invented games, arranged parties, and found any excuse at all to create holidays and celebrations. The Protectors looked out for the safety of Elfdom, monitoring and arbitrating any disputes that arose within the Land of Three Ponds, and keeping watch on any threats from without.
An example of the former was when Ilsar complained about his neighbor, Saleil, who would play his ukulele every night after eating dinner and drinking more than one large cup of mead. The mead made Saleil very sentimental and nostalgic for his dear wife, Lostra, whose elfish soul had parted from her body three years ago. Saleil’s playing and loud singing of mawkish tunes disturbed the peace and tranquility of the neighborhood, said Ilsar, and prevented Ilsar from sleeping, a sleep he needed in order to rise at 5 am for a decent day’s work. After Ilsar complained to the Protectors, one of their arbitrators came to the neighborhood and talked to both Ilsar and Saleil separately. He then made his decision and informed both of them of what was to be done. On Friday and Saturday nights, Ilsar could play his uke and sing after supper, but only on those nights, and even then he could only play until the clock struck ten. Both elves accepted the ruling with varying degrees of satisfaction, Ilsar happy that the importance of his songs had been affirmed, and Saleil happy that the importance of his sleep had been recognized.
Such internal affairs were simple for the Protectors to address, and usually only one of them was required to handle them. Outside threats were a more serious matter. It was one of these that required an emergency meeting of the entire council of Protectors on a cold and rainy late November evening. This threat, the Spell of the Sorcerers, and its ensuing complications will be the subject of our next installment of The Elves of the Land of Three Ponds.
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